She’s Nuts!

Mmm, peanut butter. The creamy condiment is a pantry staple for many households, possessing the rare ability to complement all varieties of foods—from fruits and veggies to waffles and pancakes.

So when peanut butter fanatic and 2004 graduate Kari Doyle learned her daughter, Addison, is allergic to peanuts, it sent the Doyle family searching for a worthy replacement for their favorite spread.

“We loved peanut butter in our house, so we had to find some alternative,” said Doyle, who earned her degree in clinical laboratory science. “Most of the ones that we liked the taste of had a ton of sugar in them, and the ones without sugar lacked good flavor. So, while doing a Whole30 diet, I decided to try and make my own.”

Her first attempt resulted in a delectable cinnamon almond pecan butter and was the beginning of something much bigger. She began selling the product at cost to friends, but news of her tasty butter spread quickly. Soon, she was serving 75 customers out of her home.

With a fast-growing nut butter business and two young children at home, Doyle had a decision to make—continue work at Rapid City Regional Hospital or go full-time with the business. Already possessing the motivation and encouragement from her husband, Sean, a friend’s help naming the operation was the extra push she needed.

“I was at the point where I needed to just trust that I had a quality product and that God would provide what we needed when we needed it and He hasn’t let us down,” Doyle said. “I wanted to set an example for my children that sometimes taking a leap of faith doesn’t always look safe, but it can be an amazing opportunity.”

In January 2015, She’s Nuts! All Natural, All Tasty Nut Butters was opened for business.

While Addison, 7, may have been the primary inspiration that started it all, Doyle’s 10-year-old son, Kilian, loves
what his mother does. Who knows, he may even have a future in marketing or taste testing.

“My son loves telling people that his mom is the ’nut butter lady,’” Doyle said. “One time when he was 6, I found him sitting in the pantry with a spoon and a jar of cinnamon cashew butter, and he was just going to town on it.”

Doyle’s entrepreneurial adventures may seem like a departure from her professional training, but the two are not quite as distant as they might appear. Training as a medical technologist taught her to be precise, follow procedure and the importance of documentation. Carrying these concepts over to production, Doyle feels it helps her, “offer a consistent product that always meets high standards.”

Distribution of the young operation is currently limited to online orders and foot traffic in the local shops scattered across South Dakota. However, Doyle hopes her business will continue its
steady growth.

With Sean’s retirement from his position as the senior K9 officer and trainer at the Rapid City Police Department drawing near, the Doyles are considering a move to Florida to open a law enforcement retreat center. No matter what happens, She’s Nuts! will continue to produce high-quality products and perhaps one day, be a nationally recognized and distributed brand.

Not bad for someone nuts about nut butter.

– Landon Dierks